Seven people arrested in an operation against Hamas in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands

Seven people have been arrested in an anti-terrorist operation directed against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) that took place this Thursday simultaneously in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, as reported by local authorities, who attribute to these suspects an alleged collaboration with a view to future attacks.

The operation was announced early in the morning by the Danish authorities, who initially reported three detainees, linked in principle to organized gangs.. Hours later, the intervention in the operation by three countries and the alleged ties with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, were confirmed.

The German Prosecutor's Office has reported in a statement the arrest of four more suspects, identified as Abdelhamid al A., Ibrahim el R., Mohamed B.. and Nazih R., the latter detained by Dutch security forces in Rotterdam.

The seven are accused of belonging to “a foreign terrorist organization”, in particular Hamas, classified as such by the European Union.. German investigators consider that the four suspects identified for their part have participated in operations of the Palestinian group abroad and that they have a “close” relationship with its armed wing, the Ezzeldin al Qassam Brigades.

In fact, “in the name of Hamas,” Abdelhamid al A. had already begun looking for some kind of weapons cache before the spring of 2023, in response to orders it received directly from Lebanon. The Prosecutor's Office has explained that Hamas wanted to bring weapons to Berlin with a view to “potential terrorist attacks against Jewish institutions in Europe.”

In October, both Abdelhamid, Mohamed and Nazih left Berlin on several occasions in search of this weaponry, while Ibrahim was allegedly in charge of providing them with assistance for these trips, says the note from the German Public Prosecutor's Office.

Netanyahu Alert

The office of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been the first institution in fact to confirm that there were seven detainees and announce that they were acting “on behalf of Hamas”, in a statement in which he warned that the group wants to expand its operations around the world to “attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets at any cost.”

For this reason, he recalled that Hamas represents a threat to the security of all European countries and has offered the help of Israel's Intelligence services to dismantle future plots, as would have happened with this Thursday's anti-terrorist operation.

The Netherlands raised the risk of a terrorist attack this week, while in Denmark the Police this Thursday urged citizens to continue with their routines ahead of the Christmas holidays, announcing that in cities like Copenhagen there will be a greater presence of the security forces. security in the streets, reports public television DR.

The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has acknowledged in statements to the media in Brussels that a serious threat has been reacted to and has praised the actions of the security forces.. Thus, although he has not provided details about the operation, he has recalled that there is a “high risk” of attacks.